FDBusiness.com

The UK’s largest independent family brewery, Wells and Young’s, has purchased two famous Scottish beer brands – McEwan’s and Younger’s – from Heineken UK. The deal propels Wells and Young’s into the top three premium ale brewers in the UK.

“This is a significant and major acquisition, and secures the future for the much loved McEwan’s and Younger’s brands,” says Nigel McNally, managing director of Wells and Young’s. “We are hugely excited about these fantastic Scottish ales joining our stable, they bring a wealth of opportunities to our business which we will realise through brand investment, innovation and exploiting export potential. We are committed to maintaining the rich Scottish heritage of the brands. We will continue brewing McEwan’s draught ales at the historic Caledonian Brewery and we will set up a small Scottish office to support the brands and our range of beers.”

In addition to buying McEwan’s and Younger’s, Wells and Young’s has also acquired the remaining 17% of the Courage beer brands from Heineken, following a deal in January 2007.

Stefan Orlowski, managing director for Heineken UK added: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Wells and Young’s. We have a long term and valued relationship with them and they have already demonstrated that they can bring their expertise and investment to brands such as Courage. We know that the McEwan’s and Younger’s ales will complement their portfolio perfectly.”